The subject invention provides a wrap around finger attachment device for attaching hooks to a patient's fingers for use in a finger rehabilitation program when the range of finger motion has been diminished due to post tendon injury, hand surgery, crush or traumatic hand injury, a burned hand or finger tip amputations. A finger rehabilitation program is typically used to overcome muscle degeneration and internal adhesions of the muscles, tendons or ligaments and to increase the range of motion of the entire finger. The finger rehabilitation programs may, for example, consist of static progressive finger stretching, finger flexion and extension exercises or the use of continuous passive motion devices. In such programs, tensioning devices such as rubber bands, monofilament (nylon) line or spring forces are attached between the affected fingers and hand-mounted dynamic or static splinting devices or continuous passive motion machines to provide resistance.
In such devices, the finger attachment portion includes hooks attached to the fingers. A tensioning device is then attached between the finger hooks and the dorsal or palmar region of a hand splint or the proximal area on the wrist or forearm. The tensioning device applies tension or movement to the fingers.
Typically, the finger hooks are glued directly on to the finger nails in order to obtain correct placement of the hooks. However, glue-on hooks tend to be a nuisance and be in the way when not being used and, frequently, the hooks become loose and have to be reapplied. It is also difficult to glue hooks directly onto the fingernail beds of burn patients or to hand trauma patients with sensitive nail beds. In finger tip amputations there are no nails to glue the hooks onto.
One attempt, to develop a finger exercising device involved placing finger hooks on the outer surface of a glove, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,547. This device inhibited the range of motion of the fingers and prevented the position of the hooks from being changed.
Another finger attachment device, this one for use with a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,469. The finger attachment devices are formed of a molded base conforming to the finger, bound on each side by a hinge that joins adjacent side panels and secured around the finger with an elastic band. The tensioning device is connected to a protruding lever arm on the finger attachment. This device has limited adjustability and can not be used on burn patients or patients with sensitive fingernail beds.
Thus, there is a need for a finger attachment device that allows for total adjustability for finger size and shape and can also be used with a variety of traction devices available for finger rehabilitation. Additionally, there is a need for a finger attachment device that can be used in finger rehabilitation programs with burn patients, patients with sensitive nail beds, patients with finger tip amputations or patients with general hand trauma in which finger hooks cannot be glued to the nail bed or when it is deemed undesirable by the treating therapist or physician to use glue-on hooks.